Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Director Sells $614,999.00 in Stock

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Director Tony Coelho sold 7,700 shares of Service Corporation International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.87, for a total value of $614,999.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 28,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,349.56. This trade represents a 21.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Service Corporation International Price Performance

Service Corporation International stock traded down $0.98 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $78.39. 288,512 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,100,206. The stock has a market cap of $10.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $81.15 and its 200-day moving average is $80.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. Service Corporation International has a 12 month low of $71.75 and a 12 month high of $86.67.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. Service Corporation International had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 12.59%.The company’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Service Corporation International will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Service Corporation International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Service Corporation International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Service Corporation International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Service Corporation International

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SCI. CX Institutional increased its stake in shares of Service Corporation International by 1.3% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 10,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its holdings in Service Corporation International by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 29,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,488,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in Service Corporation International by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 43,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,622,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Service Corporation International by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $848,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SCI. Weiss Ratings upgraded Service Corporation International from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Service Corporation International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Service Corporation International in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price objective on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $96.50.

Service Corporation International Company Profile

Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) is a leading provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services in North America. Through its network of funeral homes, cemeteries, memorial parks and crematoria, the company offers a broad array of end-of-life services, including traditional funeral ceremonies, memorialization, burial and cremation. In addition to core services, SCI provides grief counseling, pre-need planning and merchandise such as caskets, vaults, urns and memorialization products.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Service Corporation International operates more than 1,900 funeral homes, over 450 cemeteries and 40 combination facilities across the United States and Canada.